Thanks to Above the Law for bringing to our attention this story, which is sure to grow larger and more inflammed than, well . . . you can fill in your own metaphor. While this issue just happens to be coming to a head at Wake Forest University School of Law (although there's some doubt about the authenticity of the original email that provoked it), it's something most law schools will face when filling out next year's USNWR's data forms. The question is - how will law schools report those deferred grads it puts to work as research assistants, or in other positions, while they wait for their supposed "permanent" jobs to start? Moreover, how will, or should, schools report the employment status of new grads whose start dates have been deferred (when there's a chance those jobs may evaporate after all)? These employment stats, as you may recall, are an important factor in the ranking formula used by USNWR and there's concern that some deans may feel pressure to overstate the figures or, alternatively, that some schools will take a dive in the rankings as a result of it.